Design Research Studio x Morgans Hotels Group unveil Mondrian London

The Sea Containers House is funny one, built in the 1970s, as a luxury hotel, the original design brief was never fulfilled, and instead has remained occupied by offices. Among these was a shipping company 'Sea Container' from which the building now draws its name. Located on the south banks of the River Thames, the brutalist structure holds a strong presence between the OXO Tower and Blackfriars Bridge.

Now, under creative direction of Tom Dixon, architectural interior design practice, Design Research Studio, has partnered up with Morgans Hotel Group to redevelop of this once-anonymous concrete building into Mondrian London, a new hotel for the group due to open in early 2014.

"We chose Design Research Studio during a competitive pitch to design the new Mondrian hotel because of Tom Dixon's innovative use of materials. With locations in New York and Los Angeles, Mondrian Hotel as a reputation for being an American brand, we thought it only made sense to have such a reputable British designer like Tom to be a part of Mondrian London.The fact that Tom and Design Research Studio had never worked on a hotel before, meant the team would have a fresh set of eyes of the project and this really appealed to us."-Morgans Hotel Group CEO Michael Gross

The first hotel redesign for Design Research Studio, the project is the first collaboration between the British interior design practice and the American hotel group.

The Sea Containers House maritime history and the Anglo-American relationship between Design Research Studio and Morgans Hotel Group, form the basis of the design rationale. Marrying the elegance of a transatlantic 1920s liner and brutalist architecture, the hotel harks back to the work of American architect, Warren Platner, who built the 14-floor Sea Containers House in 1970s. One in particular is a cruise liner Platner once designed, while his furniture is featured in exclusive suites within the hotel.